


Nightmare-A Goodbye

by SatanicVenus



Series: FFXI Collection [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XI
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-23
Updated: 2010-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-13 08:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/135267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanicVenus/pseuds/SatanicVenus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time has come to pay old debts. Will their love be able to withstand this test?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rememberance

**Author's Note:**

> This is Book #4 of my FFXI collection.  
> Cheyenne and Valron's love will be put to the ultimate test...

The sun rose slowly over the cliffs of Bibiki Bay, illuminating the sky as the waves danced along the rocks. The air was quiet save for the shuffle of feet and the clashing of steel. Sand sparkled like diamonds around the two mithras as they sparred. A simple morning constitutional had led the mother and daughter to this abandoned place, the view beautiful, the environment serene.  
It had been nearly half a year since Cheyenne had traveled across the continent to visit her child. After she was born, Savanah had been entrusted to a taru named Staniv. A close friend, they knew he would keep her safe and teach her the ways of a mage at the renowned Optistery of Windurst. Chey was very proud at seeing her baby grow up to become a very talented mage and the mirror image of her grandmother, Katina.  
Although her battles kept her away, Cheyenne tried to visit every other month until recently. A simple excursion to the Empire of Aht Urhgan turned into a nightmare that she had never fathomed.

 _Chey bolted upright in bed as the sirens broke into her dreams. Just her luck, Al Zahbi would be invaded in the middle of the night. Quickly she jumped out of bed and began dressing.  
Valron groaned from the bed, “What are you doing, get back here.”  
The only reply he received was a sharp pain in his gut as his armor was thrown at him, landing heavy on his stomach.  
“Alright, alright, I’ll go fight.” He stood up and started dressing mumbling to himself, “So much for vacation.”  
They grabbed up their weapons and began making their way through the darkened back alleys until at last they ended up in Flameserpant Square. Diving deep into the commanding fray they soon became separated. Cheyenne found herself joining groups of adventurers as they defended Victory Gate. Wouldn’t do any good to let the monsters make their way into Whitegate now would it?  
Surrounded by nearly 20 other fighters, they slowly dispatched enemy after enemy. It was far after sun-up when the attack finally ceased and the enemies began warping away, saving what little resources they had left.  
Sweaty and exhausted, Chey sheathed her sword and sighed, “Time to go find that mangy husband of mine.”  
Just as she began to round the corner of a merchant’s tent an arm came around her shoulders and pulled her back, a sudden sharp pain exploded deep in her spine, her scream muffled by a large hand. The small mithra fell against the large hard body behind her and a warm breath caressed her neck, “Farewell, sweet princess.”  
The deep, melodic voice barely registered in her brain over the ringing in her ears. Her vision began to blur as he slowly lowered her to the cold stone ground. She tried desperately to speak, to move, to do anything, but all she could manage was to stare up into the cold calculating eyes of a dark and menacing elvaan. As her eyes finally shuttered closed, the last thought she had was that he looked vaguely familiar.  
Valron had finally made his way to the upper levels of Ulthalam Parade, he had been everywhere looking for Cheyenne but with no luck. His gaze scanned the lower level, watching as people healed wounds and cheered over their victory. He was beginning to feel anxious, he knew she could handle herself but he loved her, he couldn’t help worrying. It didn’t look like he was having much luck finding her here either, maybe she had returned to their room. He turned to leave yet something stopped him…He paused then walked back to the stone railing. This time he didn’t so much look out as he did down. There in the shadows behind a merchant stand was something. Through squinted eyes he concentrated on the form and his heart dropped to his stomach. In desperation he climbed on top of the wall and leaped down landing square on his feet. He rushed to Cheyenne’s side and fell to his knees, cradling her limp form in his arms.  
“Help! Someone help, please!!!” His tortured shouts filled the air throughout all of Al Zahbi that morning._

Recovery had been slow and seemingly for naught, she’d never be the same. For now though, she wanted to put it behind her. This time with her girl was precious but why she had let Savanah talk her into sparring she wasn’t quite sure. Cheyenne had missed this time with her own mother and Savanah was fast approaching the age at which she, herself, had begun killing for the crown. Chey was dead-set on not letting her daughter suffer that kind of life. The only time the young girl was allowed to pick up a weapon was in these few moments with her mother and she was becoming quite adept at it.  
Savanah lunged and Chey twisted her body to parry causing a cry to tear from her lips.  
“Momma!” Seeing her mother fall to the ground, Savanah ran to her side. “I’m so sorry.” She readied herself to use healing magic but Chey’s hands came up to stop her.  
“Don’t waste your energy on me, sweeting. I can not be healed.”  
A tear rolled down the girl’s cheek, “But you’re in pain and it’s my fault, at least let me help take your suffering away.”  
Slowly Cheyenne sat up and reached for her daughter, caressing her cheek. “This is my penance to live with. I do not wish to burden your spirit with my pain. Save your energy for those deserving of it.” It broke her heart speaking those words to her own flesh and blood. She hated that this innocent had been touched by her guilt.  
With a deep breath and a supporting arm from Savanah, Chey soon made it back to her feet and onto her chocobo. The ride back to Mhaura was filled with a heartbreaking silence.


	2. Remorse

The continued rattle of dice died down once more as the cubes settled onto the table. “Ha! You lost again shortie.” Valron smirked as he scooped the gil from the tabletop.  
He was still crooning from his win when a soft tap came at his shoulder and his face fell.  
Cheyenne cleared her throat, “Give it back.”  
“I won it fair and square, damnit.” Valron tried desperately to defend his actions against the stern look on his wife’s face.  
“Have you forgotten, you promised me you wouldn’t gamble anymore?”  
“Come on, it’s only Stan. It was just a friendly game.”  
“Oh a friendly game...Well, if it was just a _friendly_ game, you won’t mind giving the gil back…Back to your _friend_ , the person who graciously takes care of your _daughter_.”  
He knew he lost the fight and with a sigh he handed the gold back to the taru sitting across from him. “Someday those guilt tricks won’t work anymore.”  
Chey laughed, “But till then I’ve got you where I want you.”

Staniv began poking fun at Valron’s bad luck, the two men returning to their jovial mood so much so that they nearly missed the way Cheyenne gingerly lowered herself into a chair.  
A grim line formed over their mouths. “What happened?” Stan was the first to speak the thought.  
“Oh nothing, just a little sore from the ride,” she shifted in her seat and grabbed Val’s drink from the table, downing it in one large swallow.  
Savanah had come in from securing the chocobos and heard her mother’s lie. “It’s my fault, father. I asked her to spar. I know I shouldn’t have…I’m so terribly sorry.”  
The two men looked from Chey to Savanah and back again, the silence gripping the air tensely before the older woman spoke. “It was my choice to engage, nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine.”  
Valron knew how stubborn this woman could be when she really wanted to; this was one of those moments. He watched her face, the harsh lines growing deeper and more intense, she was swallowing her pain. She was doing it for the benefit of their daughter, no need to worry the young one.  
He stood and wrapped his arms around his little girl to comfort her. “Yes, mommy will be fine. All she needs is rest...” His finger slid under her chin, tipping her head up to meet his gaze, “And you, baby, should be heading back home before the day gets too far along.”  
Staniv hopped down from his chair and cleared his throat, “Yes, we should get going back to the Federation.”  
After short farewells, Staniv and Savanah were off and once out of view, Valron carried Cheyenne to the docks.

 _Darkness. Night. Complete encompassing abyss. Quietly slipping through this black world. She could not see, she had no idea where she was...She had fallen into this obscurity, a land where shadows lived and owned. The twilight was overcoming her existence.  
“Come, my angel…Join us…”  
The silky baritone sang softly to her, wrapped her in its warmth and promises. She felt like she was sinking, held rapt by the beat of a strange heart. Her soul was being absorbed into this world.  
“Love me…Fear me…Let me rule you…”  
Pressure, tight…She couldn’t breathe. Boney fingers encircled her neck, squeezing, stealing her breath. She tried to scream, the grip tightened, the song rang louder in her mind.  
Glowing orbs appeared before her eyes, green and blue flames swirled in their depths holding her mesmerized. Deeper and deeper the fires penetrated into her subconscious, overtaking her weakened form.  
“You are mine…Mine…Mine…”_

A shriek ripped from Cheyenne’s throat as she awoke. Valron, shocked out of his rest, reached for her only to find air as her body bent over the side of the bed in a fit of frenzied heaving. He slid his hand under her chemise, rubbing along her back. Her body was burning up, coated in sweat and convulsing uncontrollably. When at last he heard her take in a hasty breath, he pulled her up against him.  
Her lungs were crying desperately for air, her whole form shivering beyond belief. Val held her tight, trying to calm her. His hands caressed her face, pushing her sweat-drenched hair out of her eyes. Slowly she settled; her mind gearing down, her body relaxing against his. As her breathing returned to normal she buried her face into the curve of his neck and began to cry.  
“The nightmare again?” His voice was soft and gentle in her ear.  
Chey nodded her head, her voice cracking, “The exact same one.”


	3. Decisions

For near a month she continued to fight her dreams. Nightly she would sit by the fire struggling against the drowsiness that threatened to pull her under. She was afraid to sleep. The nightmare returned every time her eyes would close; more terrifying then the last. She could not live like this, not much longer.  
A letter had been sent to the one man who could help her. She expected to hear from him any day. It would have been preferable to speak to Novalmauge face to face, but not since the attempt on her life had she returned to San d’Oria. No city was safe for her anymore and as such, she once again made her home deep in the jungle.  
Hiding, living in fear was never honorable, but there were just too many factors to be ignored. Someone wanted her dead and part of her believed it wasn’t entirely wrong. These dreams meant something; she could feel it deep in her soul…That’s what scared her most. She needed to know and there may be only one way to find out…

“Have you been in the dark all this time, little red?” The steady tone of Novalmauge floated to her ears, a very welcomed sound.  
Cheyenne leaned forward and waved her hand towards the fire pit, a blaze roaring to life from her magic. “Aye, Val went to bed hours ago.”  
She never looked upon him but sensed him as he moved up behind her. His hands slid through the copper silk of her hair and there they stayed in silence. Energy and magic fused around them, sparkling in the air. Gently he let their spirits entwine as he took her pain and fears into himself. He read her thoughts, he experienced her nightmares…Her mind’s eye replayed everything for him.

After the joining, Chey continued to sit in her chair, staring absently into the fire. The old man stood in the shadows watching the girl he raised as his own. Both were lost in thought…Worried at what the future was to bring.  
“You shouldn’t do it.” Noval’s deep voice was first to break the tense silence.  
She turned her head and stared at him, eyebrow raised quizzically. “So it can be done then?”  
Sighing, he regretted letting that secret slip. “You figured it out long ago, how else would it be possible for your mother to come to you that day…Katina had the ability, it remains questionable if you carry it also.”  
“But I don’t need to do it; you can open the portal for me”  
“How did you know I…?” He took a moment to clear his thought and shake his head, “Stupid question. It remains, I could open it for you to get there but how would you return?”

“You’re not doing it, its ridiculous!” Both heads spun around at the booming voice of the hume. “If you cross realms, you may never return. I will not chance losing you…again.”  
“I do not have a choice! I died that day and the shadows are trying their damnedest to claim me…If I don’t face them, you’ll lose me anyway.” Cheyenne had stood and crossed the room to her husband, pulling him close to her.  
He wrapped his arms around her slight form and rested his chin on top her auburn locks, “But here, in this world we can fight them together.”  
Her breath stuttered around her tears. “We’d not get that chance. You can’t stop them, can’t you understand that?”  
“Then we will find a way for me to go with you.”  
Novalmauge stepped up finally, “Only the dead can enter. You can not die and survive as she has, she carries my curse and she must deal with it.”

The decision had been made for her long before; this was written as part of her destiny. She had always faced her fate head-on and this was not going to be the day she would chicken out. For over a fortnight Valron had continued to try to speak reason into her overly exhausted psyche but it was all in vain.  
The moon hung full and proud in the sky, illuminating the frozen tundra. Snow crunched under the couple’s feet as they quietly climbed their way to the entrance of Castle Zvahl.  
Novalmauge waiting solemnly at the top, his jeweled staff glowing brightly with the energy of a thousand demon souls…He pushed his hood off his head and watched Chey approach him, “Last chance to turn back, little red.”  
“No, I have to face my demons.” She turned towards Val and wrapped her arms around him, unable to hold back the tears.  
The lovers allowed themselves this one last embrace as Noval began his chanting behind them.  
“You’ll still have me in your heart, baby…I’ll be with you, fighting always.” He softly slid his lips over hers, “Just promise me you’ll return.”  
“I’ll always return…” Her words were a mere whisper across his cheek.

Snow danced around them as sparks flew from the tip of Noval’s staff. Right before their eyes a small flame grew in the air…The blaze soon turned into a large vortex of twilight. The portal had been opened to the other realm…The realm of souls...The spirit world was within her reach. She could see the mirror image of this world inside it but that world was populated by lost souls, phantoms of those murdered, a vicious end to any life.  
Blinding light filled the gateway and from it materialized Katina. “I have been awaiting you, sweeting…Are you ready to journey with me?”  
Cheyenne’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the woman she lost so long ago, she was speechless.  
“Your mother has decided to fight one last fight by your side.” Noval came forward and gently kissed the specter of his love. “You didn’t really think we’d send you in unprepared did you?”  
“But…But…” Words simply fell short at a moment like this, Chey was stupefied.  
“The time for questions is later, child…Come, we’ve a long pilgrimage ahead of us.” Katina reached to take her daughter’s hand and Chey didn’t hesitate, she’d waited a lifetime to feel her mother’s flesh again.  
Together they turned back to the portal, but the younger woman paused and turned back to look once more into her husband’s eyes. The power behind the vortex began pulling at her, forcing her out of this reality and into uncharted territory.  
The last thing Valron saw as the abyss began to close were the words ‘I love you’ on her lips.


	4. Goodbye

Savanah was enjoying the beautiful day out in Giddeus. She had finally managed to convince Staniv that she was ready for a bit of hands on training. They had spent all morning practicing her spell casting on the wandering Yagudo. She was quite proud of the progress she was making; she just couldn’t wait to tell her mother when she visits next week.  
When the midday sun shone high in the sky, the two adventurers were making their way back to the outpost in Sarutabaruta. It was at the outpost where Valron finally found them; he swiftly dismounted his chocobo and walked over.  
“Daddy!” Savanah yelled in surprise at seeing him and rushed into his arms.  
Val held his daughter tightly, fighting back the tears that had been threatening to spill for a week now.  
Staniv raised curious eyes to his friend, “What are you doing here, old man? We weren’t expecting you till next week.”  
When the silence lingered and the masculine façade slipped from his friend’s face, he knew why.  
The young girl was not quite so perceptive though, “Where’s momma? I’ve got so much to tell her.” Savanah looked all around, even running in a circle around the building. The look in her eyes held so much confusion when she finally looked back up at her father, “Where…?”  
He finally lost it, the tears flowed freely now from Val’s eyes as he looked upon the saddened face of his precious girl. He could not even find the courage to speak, he only held out his hand to her.  
She looked down at his hand and her gaze landed on a small scroll of parchment, her mother’s crimson seal gracing its side. Savanah stumbled backwards, not wanting to take it, not wanting to know what it said.  
“Please, angel…She wanted you to know the truth in her own words.” Val pulled the small form of the girl into his arms and sat on the ground, cradling her as he did when she was a baby.

 _My dearest firefly,_

 _I know this is coming as a surprise to you and I truly wish I could have been there to tell you this face to face but sometimes the best laid plans never come to fruition. I am sure your father is there holding you close at this trying time, the two of you will need each other immensely in the future. He will be your support as you will be his.  
Our family has always been special. Your father and I always strived to give you the best and to guard you from the horrors that filled our lives. That is one thing I seemed to have failed at, for I grew up without a mother and now it seems I have left you without one.  
I need you to be strong though. You must understand this was something I just had to do. In life there are times when you must face the demons of your past, that is my quest now. This was my own internal battle to fight. I could not chance putting the ones I love in such danger.  
When this is over I will know that the curse on our family can finally be lifted, for I was born under the blood moon and fate has taken this chance to chase me down. I must free all of us from my sins.  
You are old enough to hear this truth and I know you will handle it with a strong heart. You carry the warrior’s soul in you, as has every woman in our lineage. Be proud of who you are and always believe in yourself. Follow your senses and be guided by your compassion.  
This advice I give you for this uneasy world. You will see battle, you will see death…It is up to you to learn from the experiences and become stronger.  
Now, sadly, I must leave you. Remember that I am with you always, watching over you and loving you.  
We will be together again someday…Until then…_

 _Goodbye…_


End file.
